Bias against privates high school in admissions?

[Anonymous]

It’s uncomfortable because you have double standards, public K12 vs public higher education (like UVA).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kids at our private high school don’t get into UVA (OOS) but do regularly get into Dartmouth/ rice/Cornell/ Vanderbilt/WashU and others.

Take a very close look at your prospective HS college exmissions…

💯

[Anonymous]

Read this:
https://www.businessinsider.com/25-best-private-high-schools-for-getting-into-top-colleges-2016-3

[Anonymous]

Advantage. Money talks. But also disadvantage knowing the kids are spoiled and rich and all doing the same "passion projects"

[Anonymous]

Be really pointy at a private.
Boring old stem robotics kid with 4.0uw and 36 reg gets deferred from MIT

Be a little spunky and different. CCO can help if parent knows what to ask.

[Anonymous]

Don’t be a stooge. Your kid was born on third base. Stop running.

[Anonymous]

Private schools are not going to be an advantage going forward unless you have a hook-legacy, athlete, URM etc

Agree about privates being a particular disadvantage when applying to flagship state schools due to lack of AP exams and classes offered. You are competing with public magnet school students at Michigan and UVA and it helps to have that quantitative data. I had my kids study for AP exams on their own and take them, which was an extra expense with the AP exam tutor. Ludicrous to me that they ever got rid of them and now many schools bringing them back (Sidwell and Cathedral schools).


As for privates offering a better social-emotional exprrience-don’t count on that. Especially if you aren’t a lifer. We found cliques to be soul crushing and relentless at our private which is mentioned many times on this board. Kids and parents not inclusive and don’t create a welcoming environment for all. Only certain kids invited to parties and everyone else is ignored. Very dog eat dog environment. We stayed for the academics and kids did well with college but I question if it was worth it. Just being honest so you don’t think privates are a panacea of perfection-they really aren’t!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Private schools are not going to be an advantage going forward unless you have a hook-legacy, athlete, URM etc

Agree about privates being a particular disadvantage when applying to flagship state schools due to lack of AP exams and classes offered. You are competing with public magnet school students at Michigan and UVA and it helps to have that quantitative data. I had my kids study for AP exams on their own and take them, which was an extra expense with the AP exam tutor. Ludicrous to me that they ever got rid of them and now many schools bringing them back (Sidwell and Cathedral schools).


As for privates offering a better social-emotional exprrience-don’t count on that. Especially if you aren’t a lifer. We found cliques to be soul crushing and relentless at our private which is mentioned many times on this board. Kids and parents not inclusive and don’t create a welcoming environment for all. Only certain kids invited to parties and everyone else is ignored. Very dog eat dog environment. We stayed for the academics and kids did well with college but I question if it was worth it. Just being honest so you don’t think privates are a panacea of perfection-they really aren’t!

You obviously never had a kid in public. First, cliques exist at every school, public or private. When your kids are in classrooms with multiple kids who constantly act out even when assigned aides, tracking by ability dropped in the name of equity and the county demands teachers teach to a script, it’s not hard to understand the advantages of private schools.

[Anonymous]

Wealthy people just don’t use public high school. Personally I never even considered it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Private schools are not going to be an advantage going forward unless you have a hook-legacy, athlete, URM etc

Agree about privates being a particular disadvantage when applying to flagship state schools due to lack of AP exams and classes offered. You are competing with public magnet school students at Michigan and UVA and it helps to have that quantitative data. I had my kids study for AP exams on their own and take them, which was an extra expense with the AP exam tutor. Ludicrous to me that they ever got rid of them and now many schools bringing them back (Sidwell and Cathedral schools).


As for privates offering a better social-emotional exprrience-don’t count on that. Especially if you aren’t a lifer. We found cliques to be soul crushing and relentless at our private which is mentioned many times on this board. Kids and parents not inclusive and don’t create a welcoming environment for all. Only certain kids invited to parties and everyone else is ignored. Very dog eat dog environment. We stayed for the academics and kids did well with college but I question if it was worth it. Just being honest so you don’t think privates are a panacea of perfection-they really aren’t!

Not our experience or at least I will say that the cliques don't follow the money or prestige in high school. There are plenty of wealthy kids on the outs and middle class on the inside of the popular groups. Popularity at my kid's top private has to do about personality, charisma, looks, smarts, etc--pretty much what it's based on at every high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:(I posted this in private schools but I think it’s maybe more relevant here)


Look I know this is an uncomfortable topic. Probably one you’ll want to deny if you have a kid in private. But could we have a frank convo about this? I have multiple friends with kids in privates who have top grades and SAT scores but don’t get into schools that their public counterparts do. Like UVA for example.

I get it-there’s a backlash against the perceived privilege of privates, but how bad is it? I keep hearing about first generation college students being what’s sought after. How true is this?

We are debating public vs private for high school. DS has been accepted to an elite private for upper school but has a great public. We see so many intangible benefits to attending the private, things like character and social skills and being more in alignment with our family values. Public has a solid education & offers great academics but lacks the focus on those things. And I have a number of friends with kids from privates that didn’t get into schools their public counterparts did. To the point that I’m being warned to go public instead!

How true is this? I get that college overall is so much harder to get into-but is there a bias against privates now in admissions?? Have you experienced this?

I think kids should look for the schools they can afford that are the best fit at the moment, not intentionally go to cheaper, less selective or less well-regarded schools just to try to package themselves better for other schools.

Getting a great education is a wonderful thing in and of itself. No one knows what the future holds, and the grim reality is that some kids will die or become severely disabled before they get to the next level.

It could be that the public schools would be better for the OP’s DC than the private, and, if so, great. But, if the family can afford the private and thinks it’s genuinely better, go with that. Fill up on great education wherever and whenever it’s available.

[Anonymous]

There is no bias against private schools in admissions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wealthy people just don’t use public high school. Personally I never even considered it.

Omg did you type this with a straight face?

[Anonymous]

Maybe expand your horizons beyond the neighbor’s kid who goes to a public and got into UVa, but your friend Sally’s son didn’t despite her saying that he’s doing really well at Gonzaga.

According to the WSJ:
Among all high-school students in the U.S., 8.5% attend private high schools, according to federal data. Among the eight Ivy League schools, the percentage of students who graduate from a private high school is about four to five times that.

So for every 100 spots in an Ivy League, 40 of them are taken up by a student from a private school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe expand your horizons beyond the neighbor’s kid who goes to a public and got into UVa, but your friend Sally’s son didn’t despite her saying that he’s doing really well at Gonzaga.

According to the WSJ:
Among all high-school students in the U.S., 8.5% attend private high schools, according to federal data. Among the eight Ivy League schools, the percentage of students who graduate from a private high school is about four to five times that.

So for every 100 spots in an Ivy League, 40 of them are taken up by a student from a private school.

Yeah, OP, there’s no bias against private school students. If there is any systemic bias, it’s clearly against public school students.